


The Things I Do For You

by nerdyydragon



Series: Kingsman Tumblr Ficlets [41]
Category: Kingsman (2014), Kingsman (2015)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Merlin is a good bro, Other, exhaustion-based illness, these dumb punks don't know when to stop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 17:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8586958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdyydragon/pseuds/nerdyydragon
Summary: When you work yourself too hard, exhaustion sets in. Do it for long enough, and your body shuts down. That's it's way of telling you "I told you to stop being an idiot over a week ago; please, for the love of God, take a break, or something." Or maybe that's just Merlin, saying "I told you so."





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer* I clearly don't own any of this.

It was no secret to those who knew them that both Harry and Eggsy were absolute menaces when they were ill. They took "sick days" to a whole new level, partly because they were both dramatic, and partly because neither of them knew when it was appropriate to take a day off. Both men lived adamantly by the motto “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”, even putting at risk their own health for the sake of the job. Unfortunately for everyone around them, since they were so much alike and spent so much of their scant free time together, when one was ill it was likely the other would follow quickly. 

Which was why poor Merlin was cooking soup in Harry's kitchen, since the man was a firm believer that his great-grandmother's recipe could cure nearly anything, and Harry had been adamant. Much to his chagrin - or perhaps to his advantage, he would have to wait to find out - Michelle and Eggsy's younger sister would be over shortly to help care for them. Though he liked the quiet, an extra pair of capable hands were always useful in times like these. In his years of friendship with Harry, he never once entertained the idea that there could be someone else just as insufferable when ill; he never liked being wrong, and he absolutely hated it that he was at current. The arrival of the Unwins was marked by paws scrambling on the hardwood and childish giggling, and Merlin tried not to pay much attention to them instead focusing on making sure the soup didn't need further seasoning. 

"Mmm, whatever you've got going smells delicious," Michelle said as she entered the kitchen. 

"Perfect timing Michelle, as always.” Adding just a pinch more salt, he deemed his concoction finally complete. If he had failed, Merlin would have deemed it an insult to the memory of his late grandmother who had first taught him how to make it.  “It's an old family recipe for the boys upstairs, though there should be enough for us each to have some as well, if you're hungry." Michelle busied herself with getting bowls and spoons out, setting two on a tray with a sleeve of salt crackers to take up. Daisy had, of course, attached herself to his leg in lieu of a proper hello, as she had begun to do after getting properly acquainted with him. 

"H'lo Mistah Archie," she said, peering up at him. He set the ladle down and situated the small girl on his hip, pulling out a spoon from a nearby drawer and offering her a taste of the broth. "It tastes good." 

"Well that's fortunate, miss Daisy, since I really didn't want to make it again. It took me a rather long time. Do you think your brother will like it?" She nodded and set her head on his shoulder. "Would you like to help us take it up to them?" 

"Yes please." Eggsy certainly had done wonders on the little girl’s manners, though he wasn’t sure how much was the lad, and how much had been Michelle’s freedom from her ex-husband. Merlin ladled some of the soup into the two bowls on the tray Michelle had set out, and all three of them trooped upstairs. 

"Oh, you both look terrible." Both men had come down with fevers the night before, and thus were tucked up to their chins trying to break it, cold cloths on their head. A box of tissues sat on each nightstand, and the trash cans next to them were close to overflowing. They struggled to sit up as the small group entered the room to prepare to eat, but even that was an improvement over their attempts this morning. When he had first arrived at the house, there had been such disarray that the whole scene had firmly exhausted his capacity for pity. They  _ had  _ brought this on themselves.

"Yeah, if I look half as bad as I feel, I must look like death," Eggsy said, accepting his bowl and spoon from his mother before she handed the other to Harry. "Hello little flower." Daisy waved from her position on Merlin's hip and leaned towards her brother, and Merlin set her carefully on the bed. 

"H'lo Eggsy," she said, carefully shuffling so that she could sit between the two. "H'lo Mistah Harry. Are you feeling better?" 

"Not quite, but I hope we'll be right as rain soon. I already feel better just having you here." All three of them smiled; Daisy had taken to Harry extremely quickly, and the sentiment had been returned, much to Michelle's displeasure. The two of them were joined at the hip whenever they were together, often causing trouble enough to worry even Eggsy. Considering how much mischief the two grown men could get up to, it was no surprise that when Harry and Daisy went off the radar for longer than fifteen minutes, Eggsy immediately became worried about what sort of harm could have befallen his little sister, no matter how much faith he had in Harry to keep her safe.

"Mum always says that kisses make everything better, Dais, so where's the kiss for your big bruv?" Daisy planted a sloppy kiss to her brother's cheek where he tapped with his finger, and his face split into a grin. He whispered something in her ear, and then she turned and did the same to Harry. 

"All right then, little one, we should leave the boys to their food." Michelle ruffled her son's hair as she picked up her daughter. "Just call if you need anything, and try to get some rest, both of you." The three of them exited the room and made their way down the stairs. The last thing Merlin heard from the room was grumbling about the fact that they were sick in the first place. He had no doubt that it was Harry who was doing the whining; for all Eggsy’s intensity in the field,  _ he _ , at least, had the grace to accept when he had overdone it.

"Kisses make everything better, really?" Harry muttered, barely audible from Merlin’s position outside the partially closed door.

"She's four, Harry." It was silent for a moment, and then, "Are you really pouting right now? If you're well enough to pout then you can eat your soup." 

"I will if you kiss me." 

Merlin figured that if they were well enough to be having this conversation at all, then he could expect his agents back to work in no time. But that could wait, right now he had a little girl to take care of.


End file.
